Unleashed
by worldtravellingfly
Summary: Robbers interrupt a boring schooltrip to the Met, taking two hostages and stealing a very expensive piece of jewelery. Beckett and her team are called on scene due to two murders. But what is the CIA's deal? And why does a certain, furious ex-spy suddenly appear in the office? (Sequel to XYXX, HWTRYLH and Moments. Read those before this!) FEM!ALEX. TEMPORARY HIATUS!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Alex Rider or Castle. The plot and all the characters you do not recognize are mine though.

WARNING: Read 'Moments' and 'XYXX' as well as 'How To Ruin Your Last Holiday' before this story. Seriously, you'll need that to understand some of the most important characters and connections.

I probably won't update much or at all in the upcoming weeks, because I have German A-levels which I really need to prepare for. (Biology. I'm more of the creative crowd. No problems with Shakespeare, Goethe, languages or poetry. Give me a scientific formula and my brain goes BOOM.) Afterwards I will spoil you again and update every day, alright?

So here is the best teaser I could come up with.

Enjoy!

Love, W

* * *

**Prologue:**

* * *

Shots rang out in the silent hall.

Glass shattered, people screamed and suddenly she was being held at gunpoint.

Freddy had been taken as well. His eyes were wide with shock and fear.

_Oh this is just great. Why didn't I listen to Mum and stayed home?_ she thought when one of the ski-masked robbers pressed the cold metal of a gun into her neck.

She was afraid, yes. But she wasn't terrified.

_Honestly. I will never again think museums are boring, _was her last thought before someone knocked her out.

* * *

When she woke up again, she was in a small room, arms tied together. Freddy sat next to her, bound to a different chair.

He looked shell-shocked and frightened.

Her mother taught her to never let an opponent guess your feelings.

To never panic.

And to never give up hope.

She knew that her mother was not normal.

_Mum is influential. And she is going to be absolutely furious when she hears of the kidnapping._

* * *

Interested? Yes? No? Some already said yes. Just tell me what YOU think, alright?


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Alex Rider or Castle. Sasha is mine though, as well as the plot and anything that you don't recognize.

* * *

AN: Wrote this when I was stranded with my mom's crappy car on the way to the shop. Awesome, right? I'm on holidays and get up at freakishly early 6am to find myself in the middle of nowhere (2km from our house! I checked it on Maps.) freezing cold and waiting for someone to rescue me while my own mother is away to lounge about some pool. Now tell me life is fair and I'll bite your head off.

Ok. Rant over.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Rules **(~2,430 words)

* * *

**_- four weeks prior -_**

* * *

Sasha was bored out of her mind. Art was the one subject you get to use your energy in class and do not have to listen to endless chatter of a teacher.

It was relaxing.

Just not today.

Mrs. Stone had been going on and on about the 'Daily Mail' school art competition they had entered three months ago, rehashing every damn er darn moment. Sasha stared longingly outside when Freddy nudged her lightly to pay attention.

" ... which I am proud to announce won the week-long school trip to New York City! Nobody can go without the signed permission slips and a valid passport. So please get both. Here is a list of mandatory things to bring along. Tomorrow we will hold an impromptu parent-teacher-meeting. If you or your parents have any questions, you can ask then."

Sasha perked up immediately. They won a school trip to New York?

Awesome!

_Only one problem - Mum. I hope she's going to let me go. Aunt Sabina lives there, maybe I can play that card..._

* * *

During dinner, Sasha told her parents with glowing eyes all about New York, the school trip and tried to make sure that they got how much it would mean to her if they let her go. Her dad seemed to be uneasy, while her mother looked more thoughtful.

As if their roles were suddenly reversed. Usually her dad was the supportive one and her mum the worrywart.

"Sasha, how long is this trip going to be?"

"A week, Mum."

"How many teachers are going to come along?"

"Two or three. They have a meeting tomorrow after school for you to ask questions."

"Where are you going to stay?"

"At a hotel."

"Which hotel?"

"I'm not sure."

"Can you guarantee me that you won't try to get into trouble? That you will absolutely listen to your teachers?"

"I can."

"One hundred percent?"

"No pranks, no back talk, no trouble. Please, Mum. This is a unique chance for me. Plus I might be able to visit Aunt Sabina while I'm there."

"I don't like to have you in an unsafe environment. Here I can protect you. There I can't. If those teachers are not clearing things up so I feel like you will be safe with them, I am against you going. Please, understand that I worry about you."

Sasha got up. "Oh, Mum! Please, have a little faith! I'm fourteen not five!"

"I know. I was the one who gave birth to you."

"Come _on_! I helped to win that competition. Now I don't get to go? That's so not fair!"

Alex and Chris exchanged a look. They knew it was not fair. And Sasha did nothing wrong to warrant a punishment. She deserved to go on the trip. Her grades were very good, she had not played pranks lately (or had not been caught) and even her participation in class had improved.

For a whole month no teacher had called, asking them to talk to Sasha.

And as she pointed out – she was a part of the group of people that had won the competition due to a particularly good art work.

"I would much rather you stayed at home. But I will make you a deal. If you are willing to go, you call every day. No matter what you're doing, always during lunch break at exactly 2pm your time, I want to talk to you. No texts. A real phone call. You will be on your best behavior. No snooping around, no giving in to your curiosity, no immature pranks, _nothing_ to get you in trouble. You stay in a group of at least three people, close to your teachers. Act like everybody else does for once. If you notice something funny, don't do anything on your own. Call me or go to the police station. If you are not close to a station, call Sabina. If you get in trouble after trying to stay away from anything dangerous, we'll deal with it as it comes. Can you do that for us?"

"I will be boring, obedient and brainless, but yes, I accept. It's better than staying at home."

Alex smiled. "If you break one of the rules, I book the next plane home, no matter what your teacher says. And I _will_ know."

"You always do," Sasha mumbled under her breath. Then she smiled at her parents. "Thanks for letting me go. I know it's hard for you. Thanks, Mum, Dad!"

"You are welcome. Don't get yourself hurt, alright?"

"I promise! And I will send you a postcard every day! This is awesome! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

Sasha hugged her parents before running upstairs to call Freddy to spread the good news. In her haste she missed the amused look on Chris's face as she mentioned the postcards.

"I just hope, she is going to be alright," Alex muttered, worried.

"Why don't you call Joe and ask him to have an eye on her wherever she goes? He's practically her godfather."

"I will. Tell me I made the right decision in letting her go?"

"You did. She deserves a rest."

"Thanks, Chris."

"Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright."

Famous last words.

* * *

_**- present day, thirty minutes prior -**_

* * *

"Stay close together in your groups. Sasha, behave. I don't want to call your parents _again_. This is a museum not a playground despite what some of you might think," Mrs. Stone reminded them.

Again.

Sasha impersonated her, waving a finger angrily at any- and everyone; copying her momentary gestures expertly. Freddy snickered, along with some of her other friends.

"Can we go to the new jewelery exhibit first, please? I read that it's incredibly good," one of the goody-two-shoe girls asked in an annoyingly high-pitched voice. She was such a suck-up. No teacher was safe.

Sasha rolled her eyes.

She was more interested in weaponry than jewelery.

Ever since Sasha found her father's combat knives she was fascinated with knives of every kind. Throwing knives, daggers, modern and antique. Her father had taught her how to handle certain knives and how to avoid getting stabbed – for self-defense they'd told her mother.

_Weirdly enough, Mum has not said much about that. Except correcting my grip and helping my accuracy..._

Freddy, Nora (the football playing girl from first grade) and Sasha snorted in unison when Mrs. Stone fell for the request.

"We should sneak out and go to the next exhibit. Nobody's going to notice it anyway," Nora suggested.

Sasha sighed. "Remember my mum? She found out about the prank even though none of the teachers called. She said I'm supposed to follow the rules for once. If I don't, she is going to make me come home early. Even if that means I have to endure this (she gestured towards Mrs. Stone) and I don't like it."

Freddy nodded.

He had witnessed one of the dressing downs, once. Freddy didn't want to repeat the experience. Sasha's mother never raised her voice, just looked extremely disappointed that she had gotten caught so easily (her family seemed to accept her behavior simply; probably because they were used to it by now) and had numbered all of the flaws in her plan, explaining what she had done wrong. It was scary how much she had known.

Nora shrugged. "Oh well. Your choice."

"Maybe we can visit my aunt later? She works close to the Met."

"Sounds good," Freddy agreed.

Sasha's aunt Sabina was a renowned journalist and had published several books. They saw each other at least once every year and did all of the girly things Sasha usually abhorred. Sabina was fun to be around, though.

"Cool, I'll text her."

They entered the exhibition hall.

Something told Sasha she should not be here. Usually she listened to this feeling. Today, however, she controlled herself, pretending to look at the exhibits. One particularly sparkly brooch attracted her attention.

The restlessness increased.

Suddenly a group of men (there was no woman; the skintight shirts had revealed her right away) stormed into the exhibition, guns drawn.

Shots rang out in the silent hall. Sasha saw the only uniformed security guy go down, as well as someone dressed as a civilian, but most likely an undercover officer.

Glass shattered, people screamed and suddenly she was being held at gunpoint by one of the men.

Freddy had been taken as well. His eyes were wide with shock and fear.

_Oh this is just great. Why didn't I listen to Mum and stayed home?_ she thought when one of the ski-masked robbers pressed the cold metal of a gun into her neck.

She was afraid, yes. But she wasn't terrified.

_Honestly. I will never again think museums are boring_, was her last thought before someone knocked her out.

* * *

Beckett got called during her lunch date with Castle. Lunch was one of the few times they could be together without outing themselves as a couple. Officially.

Now she climbed out of the cab that had taken the two of them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Someone had apparently broken in, used two teens as hostages and leverage against the police to get away and killed two men.

_Great. We just finished our last complicated case yesterday, working overtime. Wonderful. _

However, the scene intrigued Beckett. It was something you didn't see every day.

The Met had a good security system, but even then it had not worked out the way it was supposed to.

Lanie examined the uniformed security guard when Beckett found her, ignoring the stream of thoughts that came out of Castle with ease.

"What do we have?" Beckett asked, all business.

"Well, two kidnapped British kids, two dead security guards and a stolen piece of very expensive jewelery," Lanie answered without looking up. "Ryan is already asking for the tapes of the security cameras. This guy went down with a precise shot to the head. I can safely say that was the cause of death. TOD at around one pm. The other one was hit by two bullets. Same caliber, one to the head and one to the heart. I'm guessing a .9mm. It's not that messy. He was dead before hitting the floor."

"Thanks, Lanie."

"I'll send you my report later."

Beckett nodded and got up. She looked for Esposito who talked to a hysteric woman. Probably the teacher of the missing children.

"… calm down, please."

"How am I supposed to do that? Two of my students were kidnapped and hurt! I can't imagine what they are going through now! Do you have any idea what that means?" the crying woman replied, voice thick with her British accent.

_The teacher._

Beckett shook the woman's hand. "Hello, I'm Detective Beckett. Can you please calm down enough to tell us what happened?"

The teacher nodded, tried to gather herself enough to speak and dabbed at her tears with a silk tissue.

_I didn't know anyone still used those. Kleenex is so much more practical._

"We arrived about two hours ago. One of my students requested to go to this exhibition first. So we went here. Then suddenly there are shots and men holding Sasha and Freddy at gunpoint. One of them took something from a display because some alarm went off. Then they went away, using the two as shields or something." The slightly hysteric woman started to cry again.

"Okay. Can you tell us the full names of the missing children?"

"Yes, naturally. Freddy Gilmour and Sasha, I mean, Aleksandra Lake."

"How old are they?"

"Freddy just turned fifteen. Sasha is still fourteen," a girl answered.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Nora Goode. They are both my friends."

"Do you why they were taken?"

"No. Sasha seemed restless the whole entire time we were in here and she hates to be stuck when she is like that. Freddy stayed close to her, trying to keep her from doing something stupid, because her mum threatened to send her back home if she misbehaved."

"Does that happen often?"

"Sometimes. Sasha and Freddy both love to play pranks. They are best friends since first grade."

"Okay. I want you to tell me exactly what happened from the moment the men came in."

"Sasha read the info on that jewelery display (Nora pointed at the shattered glass case) and Freddy looked over her shoulder, trying to calm her down. Suddenly the men held both at gunpoint."

"Thanks, Nora," Beckett said. She looked at the teacher. "Can we contact you somehow?"

"Mrs. Stone. Here is my card. My mobile is underneath the home number."

The British woman gave Beckett a calling card that was decorated with paintbrushes and a miniature portrait of herself in charcoal.

"Sasha drew that for me, as an apology."

"So she would be able to identify the men if she ever saw them?"

"She is very mischievous, cheeky and playful, but she never means harm. Sasha is one of my most observant students. She tries to be as precise as possible, even if she is only doodling on the back of her notepad."

"Sasha is also very competitive. She hates to lose and pushes herself further every time," Nora added.

"Thank you very much for your help. We will contact you if we need further information," the female detective said.

Beckett left Ryan and Esposito at the crime scene.

She had parents to call.

Little did she know that the CIA already contacted one parent of the missing children who was on her way to New York right now, bursting with fury.

Beckett was also ignorant (for now) of the men waiting in her office, wanting to take the case off her team.

A fun day lay ahead.

* * *

*TOD – time of death


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Alex Rider or Castle. The plot and all the characters you do not recognize are mine though.

Today is my mom's birthday and I decided to take the day off of studying in celebration. ;) So here is my present for you guys!

Enjoy!

PS: **Reread 'A Casual Statement' from 'Moments'** if you want to know **what Alex's new job is**. Also you probably should read **'School'** to get how Freddy and Sasha met. Interesting might also be** 'Green Eyes vs. Green Jackets' or 'Life' as well as 'Postcards**' (to understand the hint in the beginning of the first chapter).

**Thank you for wishing me good luck! I really appreciate it!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: **Visitors (~2,020 words)

* * *

There were several TV vans outside of the Met when Beckett and Castle left the building.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Beckett was anything but happy. Castle just put on his most charming media smile, then followed the detective through the crowd of reporters.

"No comment. No comment," was all they got from the two.

"Esposito, don't give them anything. No names, no pictures - nothing," Beckett ordered by phone when they finally sat in a cab.

They didn't talk about the case because the driver could hear them. Reporters were a sneaky bunch and acted possessive of their stories.

* * *

Beckett sipped at her coffee after finishing up with writing the names of the missing kids and dead guards on the board which she was staring at right now. Castle sighed, studying the board as well.

"Well, this shouldn't be too complicated, right? Obviously someone wanted to rob the Met, needed a way out and took the kids," Castle stated.

Beckett shook her head, eyes still trained on the board. "I don't think this is as uncomplicated as you make it out to be."

Castle turned to look at her. "Those kids stood next to the display case. They wanted what was in the case. For once everything seems logical. Your way."

Beckett sighed. She had a ton of questions that would make this way more complicated than that.

"Why that particular jewelery? Why in the middle of the day? Why nothing else? Why did they only shoot the security personnel? Is there a reason why those two kids were abducted? Something tells me this is not a coincidence."

"Considering the two British school kids that were abducted, I don't believe this to be a coincidence either," an elderly man said from the door.

He looked like your fairy tale grandpa or Santa, except for his hardened eyes.

_They kinda ruin his grandfatherly image._

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Beckett wanted to know.

"I cleared all those questions with your superior," the grandfatherly man looked dismally at Sir. "I am from the FBI. This no longer is your case."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently the higher-ups think we are not capable of solving the case, save the kids and find the jewelery," Sir replied, glaring at the man next to her.

In the background three suit-clad men shuffled.

"We are perfectly cable of solving the case, thank you very much. We solved 'unsolvable' cases before."

"This does not matter. What do you know so far?"

"It was a robbery with two kills. Two men were shot. Two kids are held hostage somewhere."

"Please, I need to know the details." "I want to see your badge first. If you are a reporter, I swear..."

"Do I look like a journalist to you, Detective?" the white-haired man replied.

"Does Castle look like a profiler to you?" Beckett retorted angrily. This endless evasion of answering her questions annoyed her to no end.

"Considering his help during those 'unsolvable' cases, yes. Even if he is more of the writer-troop. By the way, you can't work this into one of your books. Not the kids' descriptions or mine," the man added, turning to the writer.

Castle was deeply hurt (or rather his ego). "Are you implying that I'm a backstabbing cutthroat like those hyenas?"

The stranger seemed to slowly get annoyed with the police officers. "I don't make the rules. Either you accept them and continue to do your job or -"

Beckett glared at the man. "Are you threatening us?"

The man didn't even flinch albeit her using her most intimidating tone and glare. In fact, he returned both with much more authority.

"I want to know the details. Now!"

Beckett's instincts told her that he was a man of power, not to be trifled with. If she gave him the information he sought, maybe he would return the gesture like any polite government-employed official?

"Sasha or Aleksandra Lake and her best friend Freddy Gilmour were abducted during a robbery. Sasha is what you call a good girl despite playing pranks and her competitiveness. She is talented in the artistic field and very observant. She is only fourteen, Freddy just turned fifteen. He is a prankster, too, but keeps her in check if she needs it."

"How do you know that she is a talented artist?"

"Sasha drew something for her teacher as an apology." Beckett showed the man the calling card. There was a flash of something warm - affection?- in the man's eyes. He didn't seem to be as surprised as they were when they had seen the card.

"Do you know her? _Why_ do you know her?"

"No, I don't know her. Just hand over your files and we will take it from here."

"Why should we trust you? Why do you want this case? So you can brush it underneath a nice thick carpet? So the government is able to say that they do everything in their power to safe the kids?"

"Trust me, we are doing you a favor," one of the men in the suits said.

The grandfatherly man sent him a glare. Instantly the suit blushed.

"Did you release their names to the press?" Grandpa pressed on.

Beckett flushed with anger. What did he think she was? An amateur? "No, of course not!"

"Keep it that way. Their names and pictures cannot - under no circumstances - be published," the man said. He still hadn't introduced himself.

"Why?"

"That is my kidnapped daughter you are talking about and I do not wish to read her name in the paper or have someone talk about it on TV," a female voice said from behind the suits; her tone spoke of something very dark, cold inside of her.

Castle felt fear well up deep inside him, even though he couldn't even see the owner of the voice.

The suits all shrunk noticeably and got out of the woman's way, carefully avoiding touching her.

She was quite tall, blonde and simply _beautiful_.

Even in her coldness.

* * *

When Sasha woke up again, she was in a small room, arms tied together. Freddy sat next to her, bound to a different chair. He still looked shell-shocked and frightened.

Her mother taught her to never let an opponent guess your feelings.

To never panic.

And to never give up hope.

She knew that her mother was not normal.

_Mum is influential. And she is going to be absolutely furious when she hears of the kidnapping._

However, there were more pressing matters at hand. "Are you okay? Anything hurt?" Sasha asked her friend.

"I'm not hurt. You?"

"They don't hit hard enough for my thick head," Sasha joked.

Freddy loosened up a little which was reward enough for the blonde teen. "Why are you that calm? I mean we were kidnapped, held at gun point in front of a bunch of police officers, knocked out and just woke up in some cell."

"I won't waste my energy with panicking. Where's the point? Can you move closer?"

"I think so."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Then try it out."

He did. His chair was not screwed to the floor but caused a horrible racket.

_There goes subtly._

The brunette finally came to sit behind the blonde. Her fingers flew over his restraints, checking how they were tied and the material. They were made of duct tape, like hers. Sasha carefully ripped it so he was able to move his hands freely.

Freddy returned the gesture.

Both took care of their own legs.

When they were able to move again, Sasha searched for a way out. Wherever they were, she had no intention of staying, thank you very much.

There was no window, no vent and the door was locked.

"What are you doing?" Freddy wondered.

"Remember what my mum told me when I thought she had locked me in by accident?"

"That you could have gone any time you wanted because the door was unlocked and the vent would have eventually led outside as well?"

"Yes. She is a mean prankster," Sasha replied, slightly smiling at the memory. (In hindsight it had been pretty funny.)

_But I learned a lot from her..._

Just then the door opened to reveal four masked men. One was carrying a video camera.

"Sit back down like good little kids. It's time for your big moment on TV," one of them ordered. He had a deep voice, laced with venom and malice that made the teens' skin crawl.

"I was never one for fame, sorry," Sasha replied sardonically. She fell back in a fighting stance.

"I'm sorry, but you don't appear to have much of a choice, do you?" the same man replied calmly. He had a slight New York City accent.

_Definitely from here, assuming we're still in NYC._

"You always have a choice. I never revoke mine," the blonde girl retorted.

"There is a first for everything, _Sasha_."

For a second the girl stared at the man. Why did he know her nick name?

"Sit. Down. Now," another one ordered, obviously getting annoyed with her defiant behavior.

"Make me."

One of the men tried to grab her, but she used one of the moves her father had shown her secretly one day after training.

He was knocked out.

Sasha, surprised by her own strength, was distracted long enough for one of the men to train a gun at her best friend.

"Feisty. Nice. Who taught you?" the unofficial spokesperson wondered, involuntarily impressed by the girl's skill.

"A teacher," was the sarcastic, vague response.

Somehow the blonde knew instinctively to evade his questions. Her mother had taught her once never to be completely honest with your opponents at chess. Surely this applied for this situation as well?

"Why don't you take a seat, Sasha?"

"How do you know that name?"

"Oh, I know a lot about you."

"Obviously not enough. I was in this position before. The men brought me back within thirty minutes."

"And why would they do that?"

"Because they obviously were smarter than you."

One of the men tried to slap her, but Sasha dodged it. Mostly.

"Tony! She is only talking."

"But Boss...!"

"Now, Sasha, I want you to read this message into the camera. If you don't, your friend suffers in your stead."

"Whatever."

The masked man with the camera started to record her little speech.

"Well, I'm supposed to read something for you. Apparently these imbeciles can't read themselves. A bit shy?"

Sasha received a slap which she – again - mostly dodged.

"Read!" came the command.

"'If you want to see your friends or children again, pay three million dollars to us and don't try to track us down. We will contact you with the whereabouts of the kids after we received the payment.' Seriously?"

The man switched the camera off.

"Can you get anymore stereotypical?" Sasha questioned, one eye brow cocked at the men.

"Can you get anymore annoying?" 'Tony' retorted, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, believe me, I'm just getting started," the girl promised, inwardly happy about the effect she was having on them.

_It's a bit like playing chess with Mum. Whenever she really annoyed me, I didn't concentrate on my own game. Now I can reverse that...and maybe use it to our advantage?_

The men again left the two teens alone in the small room. Freddy was visibly shaken, but staring at Sasha with an amazed expression.

"I knew you were a bit insane but I didn't figure it to be this bad," he said, treating her to a small smile.

Sasha grinned. "It's hereditary."

How much of that statement was true she had no idea.

Not yet anyway...


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I do not own anything you recognize.

AN: Got my estimated GPA for my A-levels today. (Surprisingly good. I suddenly feel like a nerd.) English was my best overall subject and so I wanted to celebrate a bit by practicing both my English and my writing skills. (: I got the full score on the hardest level (you can choose between easy or hard) and I think that warrants a little fun, right? (At least that's what I told my mom when she caught me writing instead of studying.)

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3: **Message

* * *

"That is my kidnapped daughter you are talking about and I do not wish to read her name in the paper or have someone talk about it on TV," a female voice said from behind the suits; her tone spoke of something very dark, cold inside of her.

Castle felt fear well up deep inside him, even though he couldn't even see the owner of the voice.

The suits all shrunk noticeably and got out of the woman's way, carefully avoiding touching her.

She was quite tall, blonde and simply _beautiful_.

Even in her coldness.

The grandfatherly-looking man's eyes widened a fraction in surprise before he controlled himself again.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay at home. They will only use you against her!" he whisper-yelled.

She sent him a glare. "Did you honestly believe I would stay at home when my only child is held hostage?"

The man looked resigned and for the first time appeared to be his age.

"There's always hope."

Beckett and Castle exchanged a look.

The man had lied earlier. He knew one of the kidnapped children or at least her family.

"Mrs. Lake, correct?" Beckett asked.

"I am Sasha's mother. Just hand this case over. You have no business dealing with this. You are responsible for homicides, correct, Detective Beckett? (Said person was very surprised to find that the foreigner knew her name.) Well, the security personnel was killed by a group of robbers. Done."

"But who pulled the trigger?" Castle replied.

Suddenly someone called them over to the TV that always showed (muted) news channels. "Isn't that your case? From the museum?"

The blonde woman was the first at the TV. Her expression was even more impassive (and colder) now. She exuded something that made everyone back off unconsciously; nobody wanted to be close to her.  
"Turn this up," 'Mrs. Lake' ordered.

No one dared to disobey her.

She was as scary or even scarier than an overworked Beckett on a bad day.

"...this video shows one of the two kidnapped British students. The robbers made her read out a message," a news reporter announced.

They played the full video.

_"Well, I'm supposed to read something for you. Apparently these imbeciles can't read themselves. A bit shy?"_

The girl who was talking to someone next to the camera received a slap which she managed to mostly dodge.

Her mother, it obviously was the blonde woman in the office, they were like two eggs, tensed; hands balled to fists.

The only sign for any emotional turmoil inside of her.

_"Read!" _came the harsh command from someone in the background.

_"'If you want to see your friends or children again, pay three million dollars to us and don't try to track us down. We will contact you with the whereabouts of the kids after we received the payment.' Seriously?"_

"It appears as if the teen still has some fight left in her. …" the reporter continued, but the TV was muted again.

The supposed FBI-agent and Mrs. Lake stared at each other.

Surprisingly the agent was more shocked than the mother of the girl if the slightly widened eyes were anything to go by.

Grandpa reached out to touch the woman's shoulder reassuringly, but she moved a miniscule amount, anticipating the move.

The suits shuffled again, clearly uneasy. They were obviously scared shi(r)tless of her.

_But why?_

Becketts phone rang. It was Lanie.

"I've got something for you."

"We're on our way," Beckett told her, flipping the phone shut.

She ignored the glares of the two intruders and the suit-army. Castle followed her out of the room to the morgue.

To their surprise the group followed, even the blonde woman.

However she didn't join them in the morgue, but stayed in ear shot.

* * *

Lanie sighed upon seeing the large crowd of intruders in her little queendom.

"My earlier thoughts were confirmed. The official guard was killed with a single shot to the head. The same gun, .9mm caliber, was fired twice more, killing victim #2. He was hit in the head and the chest. Both were fatal shots."

"What else do you have?" Beckett demanded to know, falling back into her routine.

She needed to feel like she had some sort of say in this. After all, this was her team's case, the NYPD's, and ultimately her's.

Not some FBI jerk's.

Beckett hated people that wanted to take the control off of her.

Not even the secret agent two years ago had tried to usurp and undermine her power.

_Who are these people? Who do they think they are, barging in and demanding respect and that she handed the case over without asking questions?_

_ Not even Castle was this bad in the beginning..._

"I x-rayed the two bodies and the shots were as precise as it gets. There could have been only one shooter this skilled."

"May I see pictures of them from the scene?" 'Mrs. Lake' suddenly said.

There was no sign of any emotion in her voice. She was more ordering than really asking, too.

Surprisingly, Lanie didn't question her request.

Possibly the ME hadn't seen the news channel's report yet and assumed the woman belonged to the suit-army. (Which was frankly not that off. She wore a black costume, a white blouse and the same carefully cultivated impassive expression as the rest of them.)

Lanie handed her the on-scene-pictures of the two dead men.

The blonde flipped through them. She didn't seem to study each for a long time, but there was something that spoke of professionalism.

The foreigner obviously knew what she was doing.

Beckett was surprised to notice that.

If she had any experience with dead people – not just dead people, but unnaturally _killed_ people – she could not be a mere civilian. Plus, the blood and gore didn't seem to affect her much if at all – her impassive face was too hard to read – even though she stayed as far away as possible from the bodies.

It didn't make sense.

Either she was desensitized to gruesome deaths and bodies, or she wasn't.

_Why else would she position herself in the doorway? _

"Contract killer. The shots are very precise. Plus, the fatal areas. He thought the second victim was more dangerous and tried to play it safe by shooting him in two different vital areas. Not many people are able to display this much skill, not with a .9mm," the foreigner finally said.

"The guard was just a guard. However, things get a bit more complicated now that we know there is a fully trained assassin involved."

* * *

Sasha sighed. She was even more bored now than before in the museum.

Lessons in school at least provided enough other distracting things, such as students, doodling on her notebook etc. Here, she had nothing to keep herself occupied with.

Her mind wandered back to her mother. If their kidnappers told the truth about sending the video to every news channel, she was most likely worried sick about her by now and on her way to New York.

_Mum will be acting like a raging bull again, kicking the officials in the teeth... She will probably start a crusade against any- and everyone until these idiots are caught. No way their plan is going to work. She is too overprotective for letting them go without punishment._

Sasha sighed again, standing up.

_Might as well exercise. It's not like there is something awesome about to happen._

Somehow, she wished these men were as easily intimidated or at least not stupider (depends on the way you looked at them) than the Green Jackets that had kidnapped her before.

Freddy stared questinoningly at her when she started to do sit ups.

Shrugging, he joined her, having no better idea either.

There was nothing else to do at the moment.

* * *

"The guard was just a guard. However, things get a bit more complicated now that we know there is a fully trained assassin involved."

Beckett, Lanie and Castle stared incredulously at the blonde woman who handed the pictures back to the ME.

Grandpa joined them again, having heard her little speech.

"Well, things never get boring with you," he muttered.

"What can I say? It's hereditary."

Grandpa snorted. "I managed to keep the names out of the press. No channel is going to publish them."

"Thank you, Joe."

"You are welcome, Alex. Now, why don't you explain to these detectives why they should have just given the case over?"

"Usually my partners curse me after closing the latest case. Except for one, they all quit after working with me. I am working for the British equivalent to the FBI. That's how Joe and me met."

"And she's the best they have."

Castle cleared his throat. "Does Sasha know?"

"No. She knows I work for the government and can't talk about my job with her. But it's possible someone targeted her specifically to get back at me for something or to interrogate her for information she doesn't possess," the cold blonde replied, a faint bitter edge in her tone.

The room was silent for a moment during which everyone processed this piece of information.

"But how can you be so sure that the killer is an assassin? It could be some highly-trained psycho for all we know," Castle argued.

"For one, the precision. I need to see the tapes to be absolutely sure, but he _did_ manage to get three hits close to the bull's eye. They are only minimally off. So, yes, the shooter has been training extensively for a long time period. Second, the speed. He had only a few seconds to spot the two in the crowd, draw the gun and shoot. Additionally to the guard, he identified the undercover security guard which means he is very observant and has been in contact with undercover officers before," the blonde explained in an emotionless tone, almost bored.

As if she had done this thousand times before.

Grandpa or Joe nodded once.

"After that's out of the way, we should get back to the important matters. We need to find the kids as soon as possible."

"Can you make a list of people that might be behind the kidnapping?"

"I could, but until that list is done, my daughter better be back home," 'Mrs. Lake' replied.

Her lips twitched with something that under other circumstances could have been a smile.

Only the suits and Joe seemed to get the joke behind those words.

"Just to make sure we don't overlook anything, we should consider the possibility that the rest of the group might not have known who they were taking as hostages. Most likely they know now, thanks to the assassin..." Joe added thoughtfully.

Alex agreed. "Yes, why would they steal that particular jewelery? I checked, there is a diamond necklace worth twice as much. Why didn't they take that?"

The elevator arrived, stopping the conversation for a second.

When the 'ding' rang through the empty hallway, the doors opened, and an empty cabin came into view, there was a soft sigh and a low 'thud'.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Alex Rider or Castle. The plot and all the characters you do not recognize are mine though.

AN: I know that this starts differently than all of my other fanfics. There is drama, action and a tidbit of romance planned but give it some time. Sasha's role will grow more important later. Right now there is not much interesting stuff she can do in her cell. I need to build the base level up completely before the action can start. And this chapter and the last are providing me with some stuff I'll use later on. Okay?

I found out that my topic for my A-levels is fairly easy so **I will try to update daily or every other day again**. Alright? If you still like the story - even if it is less funny and slower in the uptake than the others I've written so far - leave a comment.

It's the best inspiration. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4:** New Information (~2,250 words)

* * *

Lanie acted quickly when she saw the foreigner fall to the floor in front of the elevator. She made Esposito and Ryan carry her and lay her on one of the visitor's benches.

"She fainted," Joe muttered, worried and astonished. "Why did she faint?"

Obviously Alex had hidden something from him again. What happened to her? Was it another assassination attempt? Or just a simple sickness?

Naturally she hadn't said anything to anyone.

_Once a spy, always a spy._

Lanie finished her short examination of the unconscious woman. "Maybe exhaustion? She probably hasn't slept long in a while, judging by the bags underneath her eyes. Plus, she is very thin and pale," the ME replied to his mostly rhetorical question.

Joe sighed. "She probably worked overtime again, because she worried too much about her daughter."

"With good reason, as we see now," Beckett added.

Her mind shortly wandered back to Alexis' kidnapping. She never wanted to feel so helpless ever again.

But now, now they had two missing kids and no leads so far - again.

The office was mostly empty by now. Only a few detectives were still working. Most lights were dimmed or turned off. Someone's phone rang in the distance.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" the awaking blonde wondered.

Joe rolled his eyes at her tone. Alex had never been one for craving attention. "You fainted. Why don't you go and sleep for a few hours?"

"If you haven't had the chance to book a hotel, you can stay at my place," Castle offered.

He felt strong pity for the British woman. He knew exactly what she must feel like - daughter abducted in a foreign country, no leads to anyone specific... - and alone. On top of that she must feel guilty - even if it's irrational - because it might have been caused by one of her enemies.

Alex wanted to politely decline; she had noticed the looks and secret gestures Beckett and Castle shared.

She didn't want to intrude on anyone. "Thanks. That's very kind of you..."

"...so she will accept your offer. Alex, you are no use to anyone like this. Sleep. We'll find Sasha sooner if you are on top of your game," Joe argued.

Beckett didn't seem to agree with Grandpa.

_Why would Castle offer her to sleep at his apartment? For what reason could he possibly want her to be around him? She is unpleasant, cool and obviously not well._

The only explanation Beckett could come up with increased her jealousy further.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the glare Alex sent Joe's way or Castle's reassuring squeeze to her own hand.

* * *

Sasha finished her hundredth sit up and switched to push ups. She wanted to really exhaust herself so she could fall asleep more easily.

Freddy followed her example.

He had declared her the temporary leader after witnessing the way she had handled the men earlier.

Suddenly the door to their cell was opened.

One of the men entered the room, sauntering inside as if he owned the place. Sasha sat up immediately, eyes never leaving the man who helped himself to a seat on her chair.

"These idiots don't know who you are, Sasha. They have absolutely no idea what your parents do for a living or why three millions are not much to ask for setting you two free. I am sure your friend over there has no idea either," the man started.

Sasha recognized his voice. He had been the calm spokesperson of the kidnappers.

"But I do. I know exactly who you are. You don't, obviously. You have no idea how much you're worth - dead or alive. In my world you are worth so much more than ten of these brooches. So why would I let you go even if your parents organize the meager amount of money?"

Sasha stared at the man, having frozen during that little speech of his. She had goosebumps all over her body, subconsciously knowing this man was dangerous.

Really dangerous.

Not just one of those idiotic kidnappers.

She knew instinctively, he had been the one to kill the guards.

"Because you have no idea what sleeping dragon you would be kicking awake," Sasha retorted, more courageously than she honestly felt inside.

_What possessed me to say that? I don't know what 'sleeping dragon' I meant._

The man simply laughed, getting up, on his feet.

"Oh, Sasha, I wouldn't count on that," he said before leaving again.

* * *

Castle unlocked the door to his loft, holding it open for the British FBI-agent. What was the name of this agency she worked for again? She hadn't told them the name, Castle suddenly noticed.

"Make yourself at home. I know you probably feel like you are letting your daughter down by resting, but you need to at least nap a bit," he told her. "It helps to clear your head."

"Do you have children, Mr. Castle?"

"Just Castle is fine. I have a daughter myself. She has been kidnapped a little while ago, so I know what it feels like."

The blonde didn't seem surprised to hear about this. Then again, she didn't exactly show her emotions.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for offering your home to me. I'm sure Detective Beckett wasn't happy about the arrangement. You did not have to invite me. Thank you."

"You are welcome. Would you like to eat something? Maybe a drink?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Do not trouble yourself."

"It's no trouble. Just hospitality. I was going to eat something anyway."

She finally caved and he started to prepare sandwiches so as not to wake anyone accidentally.

Her phone rang and she quickly left the room.

However, Castle could still hear bits of what she said to the caller over the noise of the stove.

"Yes? ... What? ... Why did you let him go? ... Cover up? ... (a curse) ... No! ... (another curse) ... Until this is over. ... Sasha is ... top priority. ... Sent... me."

What was she keeping from them? Who had just called?

The more time he spent with her, the more questions seemed to arise. Who was this woman really?

And why in the world did she remind him of his father?

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryan and Esposito reported to Beckett what the other witnesses had seen and heard, as well as the findings of the security footage and crime scene.

"Freddy is apparently outgoing and a soccer fanatic. He plays for the school team as a striker. His parents are very successful lawyers, internationally renowned. However they don't have many enemies. I talked to them on the phone. Mrs. Gilmour sent me a list of their cases etc," Esposito said, handing Beckett a small stack of papers.

"Freddy has a girlfriend at home. Her name is Sarah Winston; goes to a different school. Nora said some girls were jealous but... He is one of the more popular students."

"What about Sasha?" Beckett wondered.

To be honest, ever since she met her mother and saw the video of the teen on TV, she was fascinated by the fourteen-year-old. The girl was courageous and quite feisty.

Beckett could identify with the kidnapped teen so much more easily than any other victim – except for maybe Alexis. But Castle's daughter had different interests entirely than Beckett at her age. What she heard so far from Mrs. Stone and Nora increased Beckett's curiosity.

"She is not as popular with the girls. Nora is her only female friend, apparently. No one seems to particularly hate her, but because she is different, she stands out in the crowd. She plays soccer as well, midfield. Very talented, some of the kids say. Somehow she always ends up getting into trouble, Nora told me. She is very curious, very good at playing pranks and not getting caught for most of them. Sasha also has a strong sense of justice. She defends younger kids from bullies, apparently."

Beckett was stunned by what she heard about the fourteen years old girl. Her suspicion strengthened. "Are you sure that's not someone painting a picture of what they want to see?"

"No. Even the other girls who despise her confirm Nora's story. Her parents are very young but reliable and responsible, according to Mrs. Stone. Also very strict. Sasha's dad is an ex-soldier turned instructor."

"He used to be in the British Special Forces, I checked," Ryan added.

"And her mother?"

"She seems to have told us the truth. We can't access her file, though - beyond her name, Aleksandra Lake, birth date but no year and that she works for the government. There is nothing cleared to tell us exactly what she is doing for them. I tried their house - Mrs. Stone provided the emergency phone number - but no one picked up," Espo finished, since Ryan had started the report about the tapes.

The murder board seemed to overflow with information by now.

Beckett sighed. "Maybe they split up? Or he's working?"

Where was Mr. Lake?

A black-haired woman with blue eyes left the elevator. "Detective Beckett? I am here because of the case involving the two abducted British school children."

"Are you a journalist?"

"Yes, but the girl in the video is my niece Sasha. She looks exactly like her mother - but the eyes are from her dad. Has Alex already been here?"

"She has," Grandpa confirmed cautiously. "Mrs. Pleasure, why are you here? You know Alex would have been trying to solve the case alone."

"Sasha texted me shortly before they went into the museum. I thought I'll tell you. This is private. I won't write about this. I know the rules," the black-haired woman replied.

"What did she say?"

"She had this weird feeling again but needed to stay close to the group and act normal around her classmates. She asked if I had time to meet up with her and some friends during their free time after the visit to the Met."

"Why?" Beckett asked immediately.

"I work only a few blocks from the Met. I replied that we could meet any time. She is my niece and I missed her. Why wouldn't I want to see her?"

"Why did she say that she needed to act normal?" Beckett clarified her earlier question.

"Sasha is not your typical teenage girl. She is very serious, very mature, even though she plays a lot of pranks. And she doesn't trust easily; is very reserved. Sasha is a black belt in karate and very proficient in judo and boxing. She loves to dive, hike, climb and learn everything about fighting techniques. She can speak French, Russian and Spanish fluently, and improves her German every time I speak to her. She is very interested in new things, especially mysteries. Sasha... When you meet her, you either love her to death or hate her. She is very close to Al's uncle and father, as well as her paternal grandparents."

The journalist took a deep breath.

"If Alex finds out that Sasha tried to be obedient for her sake and ignored this feeling, she will never forgive herself."

Beckett nodded once. "Can you tell us what she does for a living?"

"No. She only talks to her husband about those things."

It sounded as if Sabina Pleasure didn't want to find out what exactly her sister's job entailed. She sounded as if she was happy to stay ignorant.

And that meant she knew something about it.

"Why doesn't she talk to you about her job?"

"It's not pretty what she has to deal with every day, Detective. I know enough to not ask any more questions."

"Would you think it possible one of her enemies could be behind this?"

"I think if this indeed was initiated by one of those people, you would have never found out about it. Or at least not until it was over."

"Are her enemies that powerful?"

"Listen, I heard rumors about your mother's death involving someone high-profile that wanted her dead, all those years ago. I also heard rumors about the real reason for Alexis Castle's kidnapping. That's all I can say about this."

What was she hinting at?

* * *

_Sneak Peak:_

"Why did you come here?"

"I can't let you do this."

"You found it?"

"Of course. I'm not as perceptive as you but I have my moments. I can't let you do this."

"Javi?"

"Eagle?"

* * *

What do you guys think? Scroll back up to the top if you haven't read the AN, please.

Love, W


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Alex Rider or Castle. The plot and all the characters you do not recognize are mine though.

Enjoy! Thank you for following/favs and all those awesome reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 5: **

* * *

"I think if this indeed was initiated by one of those people, you would have never found out about it. Or at least not until it was over," Mrs. Pleasure said, choosing her words carefully.

"Are her enemies that powerful?"

"Listen, I heard rumors about your mother's death involving someone high-profile that wanted her dead, all those years ago. I also heard rumors about the real reason for Alexis Castle's kidnapping. That's all I can say about this."

What was she hinting at? Was this journalist saying that this case was similar to what happened with Alexis?

"Do you know where Alex is staying at?" Mrs. Pleasure asked worriedly.

"She is staying at my partner's place for now. Your friend (Beckett couldn't quite stop herself from glaring at Grandpa) insisted."

"She fainted," the old man defended himself.

The journalist's left eye brow rose in astonishment. "I need to contact her in person. When and where will I be able to reach her?"

"Give it four hours and she will be back here for sure," Grandpa replied.

* * *

Sasha was still shaken inwardly with the man's threat. A thousand questions flew through her mind.

What had he meant when he said she alone was worth much more than those millions?

Did he tell her the truth or just another lie to intimidate her, as retaliation for her cheekiness earlier?

_Why_ was she worth so much?

Who determined that someone (she refused to think in first person) even had a prize?

No human being could be bought. They had learnt about human dignity and rights in Ethics class.

_Not that these idiots seem care..._

Sasha was lost in her own thoughts, so it took a while for her to notice Freddy's worried look.

"If you get a chance to run, you run. Understood?" Sasha ordered him, suddenly more serious and intimidating than ever before.

"Same goes for you. I don't think he was bluffing, Sash. You need to get away as soon as possible. That guy is dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't leave you here, Fred."

"You will have to. They obviously want you more than me," the brunette boy pointed out.

"They will use you to set a trap for me. Or hurt you if they find out I escaped. He (there was no specification needed) might even kill you!" Sasha retorted.

"But he will hurt you for sure! If not kill you later. You need to leave me behind, Sasha. I know that you can come up with some insane prank in a matter of seconds. Use it."

Sasha knew of course what he meant but the conflicting emotions - mostly caused by her protective streak - were occupying the majority of her mind.

She didn't want to leave him in the clutches of these men. Especially not with a mad killer.

That had threatened _her_ specifically.

On the other hand she knew Freddy was right. The murderer was possibly going to do unmentionable things to her that she didn't want to think about.

"What?" Sasha replied, irritated.

"Use your strengths. I know that you can get out of here. Don't tell me where you go or how you are going to do it - just get help. Be careful and don't get hurt," Freddy asked.

Sasha hugged him, unable to say anything. Normally, she wasn't one to be all mushy and girly, but her best friend had just sacrificed himself for her.

"If I do get out, I will find you and kick their butts to hell. Nobody messes with my friends. Especially not my best friend," the blonde muttered angrily.

Then she tightened her grip for a moment before letting go off him.

Sasha had a few (totally reckless) ideas.

Now she just needed a good plan and a little luck...

* * *

Beckett opened the door to Castle's loft. It was six am and she wanted to talk to him in private before returning to the yard. Surprisingly it wasn't him that had slept on the couch last night. It was Mrs. Lake.

Who stared right back at Beckett.

"Good morning, Detective," the blonde greeted politely.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lake."

"I didn't want to accept the offer yesterday, just so you know. You two are obviously a couple and I don't want to intrude," the blonde said casually, looking straight into the detective's eyes.

Beckett tried to ignore the unease that was cursing through her after hearing the casual statement about the relationship between Castle and her. The detective had more important matters to deal with at the moment. She could always ask later how the foreigner found out.

"What about your husband? Why didn't he accompany you here?"

"I went straight from my office to the airport. He was at camp, working. By now he should be on indefinite leave and arrive home any moment."

"So that's why we couldn't reach him at home?" Beckett wondered.

She wanted to make sure that the couple hadn't split up or something else had happened.

"Most likely," the blonde said.

Beckett nodded, acting as if she understood why the woman evaded her question and had now idea where her husband was at the moment. Hadn't they talked on the phone at some point?

"How did you know about the abduction so early on? You came within eight hours."

"I have connections, Detective. Those people knew I was going to explode if I wasn't informed right away. My daughter is very important."

_Why does she say 'My daughter is very important' and forgets to add the 'to me'? Who are 'those people'?_

Something told Beckett that despite the tough exterior, this woman was just like Castle when Alexis had been abducted. She needed to be reassured and convinced of their abilities.

"We had a similar case a little while back. Two kids missing, next to no clues..."

"Where did you find them?"

"Paris, France. They had been targeted for revenge."

Beckett observed the blonde's face closely. There was a flicker of compassion, anger and sadness.

"This was not supposed to happen. Sasha wanted to go so badly because she helped to win the competition. It would have been unfair to have her stay home," Mrs. Lake muttered.

Involuntarily Beckett found herself hugging the woman.

"We will do everything in our power to get her and her friend back," she promised the foreigner.

"Thank you."

It sounded sincere.

* * *

A little while later, they were back at the station. The team was gathered in their part of the office, going over everything once again while waiting for Lanie to call. The DNA of the two dead victims had been sent to a special lab from the FBI. Grandpa pointed out again that this might help figuring out who kidnapped the two teens.

Ryan repeated what he told Beckett last night about the security tapes while letting the important scenes play on his computer.

"The students enter the exhibition together in one large group. Freddy, Nora and Sasha are in the middle of the group, talking. Nora leaves to talk with a boy; Sasha seems uncomfortable and tries to distract herself. She glances around as if she expected to be attacked. Freddy only tries to calm her down. Now the robbers come in. There are three shots -"

"Can you hold it for a second, please?" Mrs. Lake asked suddenly. She stared at the screen, transfixed; emotions unreadable again.

Ryan halted the video.

"Zoom in on this man and go back a few seconds."

Ryan did. Grandpa and Mrs. Lake exchanged a knowing glance.

"Do you recognize him?" Espo wondered.

"No. I have probably never met him personally. But I know who he works for," the blonde replied impassively.

Beckett looked expectantly at her.

"I need to call someone for the files. Until then I am not allowed to tell you. I support Joe's theory. None of the others had any idea who Sasha is. But this guy did. He killed the guards. And I bet he was responsible for the kidnapping as well. He won't let Sasha go no matter what we do. I'll get the government to pay the ransom for Freddy, but then we need to know where they are. What he plans to do with Sasha."

Everyone stared at her. How could she be possibly able to make someone from the government pay the ransom?

"What are you suggesting then?" Grandpa asked, the only one not astonished.

"First I have to call my superiors. Then when you have the information on the guy, we can concentrate on the rest. Additionally, Mrs. and Mr Gilmour will arrive on the next flight. There has to be someone who saw the robbers leave. I'm guessing a black SUV or minivan. Most likely able to be distinguished on CCTV somewhere. They are amateurs and inexperienced kidnappers. Ask eye witnesses around the museum if they saw a vehicle big enough to transport such a large group. Maybe we can find out in which direction they were headed. If we're lucky they'll even show us when they ditched the car and where they went after."

Beckett took over, having her head swim with her own ideas. Ryan was finishing up his report for Grandpa's sake and was supposed to find out if there was such a van. Esposito now had the task of sending out a form to every police station, newspaper and TV channel, asking anyone for information on the robbers after going through the witnesses again.

Alex excused herself from the remaining group, heading out to the main office, as if she had seen something they hadn't.

Castle followed her, curious where she was going. The rest of the team was too busy organizing. Grandpa called someone in the corner. Beckett left to see Lanie, but stopped next to her boyfriend who didn't notice her.

Castle came just in time to see the blonde carefully avoiding being embraced by a tall man in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, both looking as if he had worn them for quite some time. The two didn't seem to notice Castle who was standing close enough to hear their whispered conversation.

"Why did you come here?" Mrs. Lake asked, sounding slightly worried and quite angry with the stranger. So she definitely knew him.

"I can't let you do this," the stranger replied, using the same tone. It sounded as if he was not going to back down.

"We had this conversation before, Chris. You are supposed to be at home..."

"...trusting you. I know. But you left in a hurry and forgot something very important on your way here."

The blonde's look intensified.

Castle couldn't discern all the emotions on her usually impassive, cold face. Who exactly was this man? Her husband? Then why was she angry to have him here, with her? He wanted to support her, surely.

"You found it?" Mrs. Lake muttered almost inaudibly.

There was no anger in her voice, just surprise and worry.

"Of course. I'm not as perceptive as you but I have my moments. I _can't_ let you do this," the man emphasized once again.

This time here was more pleading and worry, along with a bit indignity in his tone.

Castle knew the stranger was slightly offended that she hadn't trusted his abilities enough to accomplish finding 'it' – whatever that was. But he also clearly worried very much about her and didn't agree with whatever she had planned. This had to be either a lover or her husband.

"Nobody can but me. I am not sacrificing Sasha because of your over-protectiveness," Alex retorted decisively, clamming up slightly.

"You forget certain competitions, Princess. I'm as good as my teacher after all those years. I won't let you go. _Ever_. Sasha is my daughter as well, Alex. There is no way in hell you pull the disappearing act on me again. Not now," he said, sounding strangely final.

The blonde woman – Alex, as Grandpa called her - stared at the tall man, now outed as her husband.

"You are not going to endanger yourself. I could never stand to lose you like that," Mrs. Lake mumbled, almost too low to hear.

Mr Lake, presumably, kissed her gently on the cheek, drawing her in a tight embrace. It appeared as if he was not persuaded otherwise.

Castle knew she had never shown so much vulnerability to anyone but him. For the first time ever, Castle saw the fragility that lingered in the back of the British woman's eyes when her husband embraced her. During those few moments she had shown more emotions than in the last ten hours.

Then the blonde sighed, giving in. "I accept your proposal. But you'll go through my training first, before I let you do this."

The man smirked slightly, lighting up her mood as well. (Which might have been the sole purpose.) "Didn't expect anything less from you, Princess."

Castle had noticed he was not the only one staring by now. Beckett and him exchanged a quick knowing glance.

Grandpa smiled - he actually _smiled_! - who knew he could do that?

The suits were incredulous; eyes glued to the open display of affection.

"Since things between you two are cleared now, would you join us again, Alex?" the white-haired man suggested.

Mrs. Lake nodded.

Castle observed that she held hands with the tall stranger. He had green eyes, dark hair and was tan. He was muscular and Castle thought he spotted black ink on his arm, peaking out from underneath the white shirt. Shortly: the man was quite attractive.

Mr. Lake hid the tension very well underneath his smile, but Castle detected it nonetheless in the way he interacted with Alex.

"My husband Chris. This is Richard Castle, Detective Beckett, some suits and Joe," Alex introduced, waving a hand in the direction of the person she just talked about.

Just then Esposito returned, having forgotten to take an extra pen in the hurry to get going. Everyone turned to him, including the newcomer.

"Javi?" said man asked astonished.

"Eagle?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** This author owns nothing you recognize. Neither Castle nor Alex Rider.

Today's forecast: Action on the horizon, accompanied by a storm of questions. To accommodate drink hot cocoa/tea/coffee and wrap in a warm blanket, reading. ;) Enjoy!

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**Chapter 6: **Acquaintance (~2,490 words)

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Mr Lake hid the tension very well underneath his smile, but Castle noticed it in the way he interacted with Alex.

"My husband Chris. This is Richard Castle, Detective Beckett, some suits and Joe," Alex introduced, waving a hand in the direction of the person she just talked about.

Just then Esposito returned, having forgotten to take an extra-pen along in his hurry to get going. Everyone turned around, including the newcomer.

"Javi?" said man asked astonished.

"Eagle?"

The two men stared at each other for a moment before giving the other a manly hug.

"Been a long time," Esposito muttered.

"Yes. Too long."

"How do you two know each other?" Beckett wanted to know.

"We involuntarily spent more time together in a small room than I ever wanted," Espo explained.

The Brit shuddered slightly at the memory. "Sometime after this mess, we need to catch up."

"What are you...? Oh. So Sasha is your daughter?"

"Yes."

"Man, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Alex, he's one of the guys from #3," Chris explained to his wife.

The blonde tried for a smile. "Thanks for looking out for him."

The whole situation screamed awkward.

Even more so as Esposito remembered something. "Is this the postcard-lady Jag wouldn't shut up about?"

The Lakes exchanged a brief look.

"_How much did you tell them?_" Chris asked in Russian.

"_I said I was from the British FBI, after explaining why I thought there was an assassin involved. I guess that will be blown to pieces now?_" Alex replied, using the same language.

"Pretty much," Chris agreed, this time in proper English.

"F***! Okay, we need a secure room. Somewhere no one can hear us, no bugs - nothing," Alex muttered, grumpy.

Espo stared at her with all new eyes. This was pretty much a confirmation to his question. He couldn't remember the rumors with clarity but the gist was that Eagle (of all people) managed to land a beautiful, feisty spy who wrote him the infamous postcards.

So she probably didn't work for the British FBI.

Nor did Grandpa and his suits, probably.

"Joe, I'm sorry. He knows," Alex apologized to Grandpa.

"Don't worry about it. I despise the FBI anyway," said man assured her.

Mrs. Lake sighed. She ran a hand through her long blonde hair and looked determined to cut the following confession short. They chose a room without any recording devices, vents or unaccounted-for openings.

"Castle, your father is a spy, correct?" Alex asked, already knowing the answer. (One of her friends/co-workers had been working at the embassy at that time.)

A startled Castle nodded. "Yes..."

"My father used to be one too. Family business really. Dad, uncle. Both died for their job. I managed to outlive my father, and now my uncle as well," Mrs. Lake began.

"Are you still spying?" Esposito asked into the silence.

For the first time ever, Aleksandra Lake genuinely smiled. "No."

She shrugged out of her jacket, exposing her almost naked shoulders underneath.

"You don't need to do this," Chris reminded her, thinking back to the meeting with the NCIS, eighteen years ago.

"I know. I just felt too warm," Alex replied, treating him to a small smile. He sighed – obviously relieved – and kissed her temple.

Everyone stared at the now exposed scars underneath the clothing. Esposito had thought he had seen the worst on some of his ex-comrades, but...

"How are you still alive?" he whispered involuntarily aloud.

"I have no idea. Anyway, can we get the 'you lied to us'-speech out of the way? I want to save my daughter," Alex replied.

Still stumped, nobody moved.

"Okay, I will tell you what I think about your murderer. The man who pulled the trigger," Alex decided. "And please just call me Alex. I'm not Mrs. Lake. That just makes me feel odd."

"Is it one of _them_ again?" Chris asked worriedly.

"No. He was trained by them though. Freelancer, not much experience but overconfident and obviously the killer. He also planned the kidnapping spontaneously and re-directed the rest to the brooch. I wonder when they'll notice it's not what they originally came for."

Beckett stared at her angrily. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

"Because a) I would be a dead spy by now if I got talkative and b) I told you everything to steer you into the right direction. Getting Sasha back is my top priority."

"Who are 'they'?" Beckett demanded.

"A disbanded terrorist organization that ceased to exist over fifteen years ago. The name's not important. However, they had the best assassins and were ruthless. Torturing a child? No problem as long as you pay enough. They'd do everything for the right sum - or revenge. Your perp is acting the same as all of them would: for revenge. Sasha was targeted by that killer because she shares my DNA."

"So you've gone up against them?" Espo concluded.

"Yes, she has. That also seems to be hereditary," Mr Lake muttered; his voice gaining a dangerous quality to it.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Sasha manages to escape, but she wouldn't want to leave Freddy behind. The ransom will be paid ASAP. I organized everything. With a bit of good luck, Freddy is going to be safe again before his parents arrive here and Sasha can escape in the aftermath."

"So you are a spy?" Castle repeated the earlier question.

"No," Alex replied firmly. She was the deputy head of MI6, not a field agent, after all. But they didn't need to know that was the reason for her constantly buzzing phone.

"Why did you faint yesterday?" Joe intercepted.

Chris immediately examined her worriedly.

Alex shrugged. "No idea, honestly. Too much stress probably."

"What are you then if you are not a spy?" Castle insisted.

"I am still working for the British government."

"As what?" Beckett wondered.

"An official."

"You won't get a straight answer from her. Trust me," Mr Lake warned the detective.

"Are you even married?" Espo asked cautiously.

"Yes. I just kept my name. Sasha got Chris's last name to protect her."

"Why didn't you join us in the morgue? I noticed how you were looking at the pictures. Professionally. The victims were cleaned up and better than on those photos," Beckett wondered.

It really was a mystery. Judging by the scars and Espo's reaction to them, Alex had seen her share of gruesome things. Why was she trying to get as much distance as possible to the bodies? She must have been on the job for a long time if Espo knew her reputation from army rumors.

"It's a precaution. I have a weakened immune system at the moment."

"Do I really want to know?" Grandpa asked, resigned.

"No. It wasn't poison." Everyone could hear the unspoken '_this time_'.

"How old are you?" Esposito asked.

"Young, but reliable," Alex answered, repeating the words from last night's briefing.

"Did you bug the office?" Beckett wondered. She wouldn't put it past spooks to do just that.

"No."

"What organizations are you working for?" Beckett asked Grandpa and Alex.

"SO," Joe replied simply.

"Special Operations," Esposito translated and explained for the others (mainly Castle) who had no idea what exactly that meant.

"What did you do to piss someone off that trains first-class assassins?" Beckett wanted to know.

She could feel her respect for the blonde woman increase involuntarily just by thinking of what she had to have gone through to get those scars.

"Classified. Basically I just crossed them. And my dad's involved, too."

"How can you have a family? I mean usually..." Castle's voice trailed off.

Suddenly, the blonde was compassionate towards him. She knew about his father. It must be hard for him to think that maybe he could have the same as Sasha if only his dad had stayed.

"We are highly protected due to some special circumstances," Alex explained softly. "Only abroad some people slack off."

She sent another glare at the suits.

"I apologized for my men," Joe pointed out, a bit indignantly.

"It's not going to bring her back, is it?"

"Why not at home?" Esposito interrupted.

"They know better than to mess up," Alex replied coolly, still glaring at one of the suits who backed off unconsciously.

She was incredibly dangerous. It was obvious if you saw past the youthful facade. Everyone had felt the same warning subconsciously. Especially during that TV report.

_God bless the men who had a hand in this scheme_, Espo thought.

"You are a brave man, Mr Lake," one of the suits muttered, obviously thinking about living with this dangerous woman.

"He is the bravest man of my acquaintance," Joe added, jokingly.

Mr Lake laughed seemingly genuinely. "_That_ I find hard to believe, Joe. But remember, this is not a pleasure visit."

"No, of course not. Alex is right - you should not have come here," Grandpa said to the ex-special forces man.

"I wouldn't have if she hadn't run off," the tall man replied.

"Why?" Esposito wondered.

"They already have my daughter. Isn't that enough?" Alex retorted.

Suddenly Ryan appeared in the doorway.

"I've got something."

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Freddy and Sasha shared a cot, trying to get some much-needed sleep before all hell broke loose.

He had wrapped his arms protectively around her hips, in a platonic way. They were like sister and brother so there was nothing awkward or embarrassing going on between them.

Sasha relished in his warmth - they had no blanket and it was cold.

Suddenly there were footsteps coming closer.

Unsure if she was supposed to wake Freddy up, Sasha counted the different footsteps.

Two men.

"We have good news. The ransom has been paid," a different man said.

Freddy and Sasha exchanged a quick glance. They had not expected that to happen so soon.

"We are going to bring you to the RV point," the same man continued. "Griffin has volunteered to bring you."

Why was he telling them that?

Sasha stared at the man suspiciously.

"Good to see you come to your senses. But why is he bringing us by himself? Are you not afraid he will refuse to share the ransom with you?" she interrupted.

The other man seemed to think her words over for a second underneath his ski-mask.

Freddy looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, afraid of what was going to happen now. Sasha acted aloof and as if she could care less, blasé, but Freddy knew she was probably freaking out as much as him. Even if she didn't let it show.

He just hoped she had a good plan.

One that could quickly be adjusted to the exchange.

"Very well. Joe - you are with Griffin. Make sure he brings the money back. All of it," Mask said to 'Joe'.

Really, he was ordering him.

Sasha grinned inwardly at her minor victory. At least there was a small puffer between the teens and the killer now.

_Although he'll probably just kill the other guy as well._

She felt regret well up inside of her at that sudden thought but kept herself in check.

Sasha could take an extensive look at her morals later when (she refused to think 'if') she was safe at home.

_Mum will help me. Daddy and her would never let me get harmed if they could help it._

Meanwhile, the two men led them through an empty hallway.

The teens' hands were tied again. This time however with rope (so _old-school_) which provided Sasha with a small advantage. She could get herself out of the ties at any moment.

The blonde girl had learned that trick when being babysat by Uncle Wolf (who had absolutely no clue what to do with her the whole time her parents had been gone).

She knew she needed Freddy to be delivered first before she tried anything. No matter what he had said - she wasn't going to let her best friend suffer any more than necessary in this situation.

Which they were in simply because some killer wanted to abduct her.

She had concluded that from what he told her...yesterday?

Her feeling for time was seriously messed up.

They got into two different vehicles.

Killer, as she had dubbed him, was driving and Joe sat in the back, to keep an eye on them for the whole ride.

_Hopefully the police has set something up..._

Sasha didn't recognize the area because they were loaded in the vehicles inside of an underground garage, then driven in a van with no windows in the back. But she could sneak peaks through a small hole in the separating cloth.

They were still in NYC, judging by the skyscrapers she could see if she really strained her eyes.

It was late afternoon, a lot of people were milling around in the park. Someone could easily get lost in the crowd. (Another trick she had learned from Grandpa Ben when they were playing hide-and-seek.)

Maybe she could use that to her advantage.

Sasha formed a new plan.

She knew she could punch like a guy twice her age. Hey - she had knocked out one of these idiots without really intending that particular result.

If she wanted to survive and get away from Griffin/Killer, she needed to use everything she had. Because that guy was fast - he had shot the security guard in the blink of an eye. He knew that she could punch.

But he didn't know anything else about her training.

_Just as I don't know anything about his..._

Well, she knew that he was ruthless and insane, not easily riled up and therefore not going to make an angry mistake.

The car suddenly parked at the promised point.

Griffin ordered: "Joe, take the boy and get the money. If that's a trap, we still have the girl."

"Why does he go if you volunteered?" Sasha asked, seemingly innocently. She hoped he would take her along or at least both kidnappers would leave the car if she managed to get 'Joe' on her side.

Freddy exchanged a curious look with her, wondering what she planned.

"Yeah, why?" Joe repeated.

"'Cause I said so. Now scram." was the reply from the front.

Joe noted the dangerous hint in Killer's voice so he took Freddy roughly by the arm and dragged him along.

The robber left the door slightly ajar.

This was her chance. Silently counting to three in her head - to give them a small head start - before jumping up and trying to put as much distance between her and the damn (not darn) killer.


End file.
